We are a family of earth lovin folk, living completely off the power grid. We are situated in the Pisgah National forest, and hour from the nearest town. We enjoy gardening, beekeeping,preserving our own food, selling at the local markets and living as simply as possible. we heat and cook with wood.We heat our water with wood and solar and do without some of the luxuries in life but wouldn't have it any other way. Somtimes hard, always rewarding.. THis is our story

Thursday, July 8, 2010

If i were a Pioneer.........

Im guessing i would probably die of starvation sometime around, mmmmm, january.I once read an arcticle in Mother Earth News , about a family that canned 1000 Jars every season,, yeah, you read that right,, 1000... I hope n pray , that if i happen to be a poineer in my nextlife, that maybe they could be my next door neighbors? Maybe i could mend thier socks for free food or something?heehheeeThe task at hand : to self sustain,, and it aint an easy task( note that i just said i would be dead by january)..Its now July 8th, and i feel like ive canned more beans than ever( well because for me it HAS been more beans than ever) . My goal was to can around 50 qts of beans,,... sounds like a lot huh? well in the grand scheme of things, it really peanuts.. 50qts of beans would provide us with one serving of beans a week for most all winter and spring,, 100 qts would be ideal, giving us 2 meals or so a week,, there is not way im cannign 100 qts this year, even if wanted to, i dont think i have that much beanage out there!So far this year i have picked out 20-25 gallons of beans(enought for about 25-30 qts),30+ lbs of potatoes(with about 20 more lbs+ to come),,god knows how many cucumbers( for some delicious pickles that only I will eat,,hehehe, hubby n miss norah dont like pickles),and I canned some jalapenos for our pizzas this winter:) and pulled about 100 onions.and tomatoes are just starting to ripen! Next on the list , salsa, pasta sauce, pizza sauce!I may end up canning some of my potatoes, we do not have a root cellar or a basement,,eeek,, didnt think too much about that when i was planting all the taters,,,, The pantry is pretty cool and dark,, so we will see how long they last in there,, thought about putting them in the crawl space, but would rather they rot, than get eaten by critters:oGarden season is about half way done,, and I already wearin out!Having a toddler and a sewing business doesnt help,, but i suppose those pioneer women had a lot going on too, 9 kids, etc,,lol...i bet they made for good helpers though!BEE UPDATE: we know have 7 hives,, yes they multiplied,, started out with 3 this spring,, but throw in some hives that swarm( 50ft up in a tree, yes yes he went up there n got em),, and a husband who insists we split some hives .. and voila,, you end up with 7..CHICKEN UPDATE: hmm, lets see since my last post, im pretty sure we have atleast 14 killled.. 9 were killed in one night,, needless to say we fixed the back coop and got some more .. I got 6 Black austrolorps for mothersday,, and we brought home 20 more( a nice lil variety pack) from "chick days".. THey are all alive n kickin, and we are sure to shut the coop right at dark , and check, and double check,,lol..Now lets just hope those coons stay away from my corn!!!Sorry i havent posted in awhile.. Im just trying to keep up with everything around here...and its hard to sit down and blog..Wonder if those poineers would have time to sit down and blog about thier day,, doubt it! heeheeeestay tuned,,,,,,,,,,hubby told me to start looking for a honey extractor....... looks like we will be getting some honey from the hives this year..YippppppeeeeeeeeeeBlessings

1 comment:

Lookin' good girl! My pole beans just started coming in...they have yet to make it out of the graden since I stand there and munch on em' (and peas) while working! I LOVE grazin' in my garden!! haha I have two more rows of beans with flowers and once my trellis is fixed I'm gonna plant more climbers by the house. I gotta start thinking and planning my fall crops...wow this gardening year is FLYING by!!! I'm definitely doing hoop houses and cold frames next year so I can get an earlier start!

What canning pickle recipe did you use? I tried one for dill last year but my fridge pickles blow em' out of the water!

I don't have a basement or cold celler either, so I've jacked my bed up on risers so I can store jars under there!

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About Me

Welcome! My name is Jaime. I am a wife, mother, crafter and lover of anything that brings the old way back to life. We live in the woods and completely off the power grid. Join us as we talk about homesteading, farming, off grid living, self sustaining,beekeeping crafting, daily inspiration and just life in general.